A winner in his own right

MANILA, Philippines - He may not emerge as Survivor Philippines Celebrity Showdown’s Sole Survivor. Mico Aytona, however, is a winner in his own right.

“I’ve been blessed,” shares Mico who ended his island journey in Ranong, Thailand a week ago. “I have guestings. I shot an episode for Taralets. I’ll be appearing in an indie film titled Ritwal and the primetime show Dwarfina. Two weeks ago, Party Pilipinas (called me up and) got me in as semi-regular. I’m not aiming to become a big star but I just want to do what I wish to do. I’m happy that there’s always something to keep myself busy.”

In Dwarfina, Miko will play as Will De Vaughn’s friend. They will tag along and protect each other.

Although his hands are full these days, the Walang Tulugan regular is sad because Ka-Blog recently bid goodbye on air. “I miss doing a magazine show,” says Miko.

Back to the southern Thailand province, Mico showed strength and endurance in doing mental and physical challenges and stayed in the isolated island for 20 days. Many thought he could be the first set of castaways who would be shipped back to the Philippines. And Mico proved them wrong.

“Winning P3-M came first on my mind,” says Mico of his reasons of joining Survivor Season 3. “It’s a big help for my family. Second was the challenge and the experience of being part of Survivor. I want to challenge myself. I never hesitated when they called me up for the celebrity showdown. Then, (boosting) my showbiz career came third. I know that Survivor will give me exposure because it is on primetime.”

But the experience of living in an island and surviving it is priceless, not to mention the memories that come with it.

“When we won the immunity challenge for the first time,” replies Mico when asked about his unforgettable Survivor moments. “We were spared from attending the tribal council. Second was eating maggots, grasshoppers, cockroaches and crickets. Then the third was doing the Sodoku challenge.”

“I didn’t want to leave because I haven’t shown yet everything (I could do),” he continues. “I planned to show my strength when the teams merged.”

After weeks of no descent meals, Miko pampered himself by eating bulalo, inihaw na tilapia, pansit, inasal na manok with rice.

 “It was life changing,” concludes Mico, a Business Management student at the Asian Institute for Distance Education. “I have become independent, more disciplined and responsible. Since I’m living alone, I budget my money. I buy food. But I visit my family on weekends. I set aside a certain amount for my sibling’s tuition. Before I joined Survivor, I would go out at night and buy things. I appreciate every peso (I earned). If I have P500, I think first before spending it. I would rather dine in cheap (food joints) than going to restaurants. I have learned the value of saving and I have loved my job more.”

With that, Mico is indeed a winner in more ways than one.